1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data processing apparatus that implements processing by reading components configured of software parts assembled to implement a given function, and a component database. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of holding media data processing components and a method of high-speed reading.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional data processing apparatus are often configured such that a database holds the names and properties of components, and a data processing control section searches for components of interest from the names and properties, or, when the information of the names and properties is insufficient, actually reads all components (for instance, see FIG. 1 of Laid-Open Japanese Patent Application Publication No.HEI9-171501).
FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of a data processing apparatus (in the document, referred to as a resource management apparatus) described in Laid-Open Japanese Patent Application Publication No. HEI9-171501.
Data processing apparatus 10 in the figure comprises context retaining units 11-1˜N, property retaining units 12-1˜N, name analyzing units 13-1˜N, name conversion units 14-1˜N, name resolution unit 15, resource realizing unit 16, resource retaining units 17-1˜M, resource management unit 18, communication unit 19, context database unit 20, context database search unit 21, context selecting unit 22, and context extracting unit 23.
In context retaining units 11-1 to 11-N, property retaining units 12-1 to 12-N, name analyzing units 13-1 to 13-N, and name conversion units 14-1 to 14-N are respectively provided. In property retaining units 12-1 to 12-N, an arbitrary number of properties attached to context retaining units 11-1 to 11-N, respectively, are retained as a list of pairs of property names and property values.
Name analyzing units 13-1 to 13-N respectively analyze the names of input resources. Name conversion units 14-1 to 14-N respectively receive the results analyzed in name analyzing units 13-1 to 13-N and convert the analysis results into a resource realization expression. A resource realization expression is formed of a resource element string containing a resource search expression as an element, and procedure information used to process the resource element string. A resource search expression is a search expression used to specify the real resources realized in advance in a computer system.
Name resolution unit 15 receives the resource realization expression output from context retaining units 11-1˜11-N, and a name resolution result corresponding to some or all of the resource realization expression is output to resource realizing unit 16.
The name resolution result output from the name resolution unit 5 is input into resource realizing unit 6, which outputs the handles of the resources corresponding to the name resolution result.
Resource retaining units 17-1˜M respectively retain the resources previously realized, and resource identifiers for identifying these resources are also provided.
Resource management unit 18 manages the resources which resource retaining units 17-1˜M retain, and specifies the resources in accordance with the above resource search expression.
Communication unit 19 allows communication between name resolution unit 15, resource realizing unit 16, resource management unit 18, and context database unit 20.
Context database unit 20 manages N context retaining units 11-1˜N as a context set, and contains context database search unit 21, context selecting unit 22, and context extracting unit 23.
Context database search unit 21 receives a context search expression, which is described using properties, and searches for context retaining unit 11-i (i is a whole number from 1 to N) which has the properties that satisfy the context search expression from the context set. The search result can be output for example as a set of references corresponding to context retaining unit 11-i.
When a context search expression for use in accomplishing the extraction of a context set is input into communication unit 19 that allows communication between the context database and such, context selecting unit 22 delivers the context search expression to context database search unit 21, obtains and outputs the set of context retaining unit 11-i that satisfies the context search expression to context extracting unit 23.
The set of references corresponding to context retaining unit 11-i is input into context extracting unit 23, which outputs, as the context expression, information necessary to create the set of context retaining units equivalent to context retaining unit 11-i indicated by the references.
For instance, assume that in data processing apparatus 10, the three properties consisting of the property “owner,” which represents the owner, “mdate,” which represents the modification date, and “category,” which represents the category, are retained as a list of pairs of property names and property values in property retaining units 12-1˜N. For property retaining unit 12-1, the value of “owner” is “Smith”, the value of “mdate” is “95.3.18” and the value of “category” is “picture”; or property retaining unit 12-2, the value of “owner” is “Smith”, the value of “mdate” is “95.1.14” and the value of “category” is “picture”; and for all of property retaining units 12-3˜N, the value of “owner” is “Bill”, the value of “mdate” is “95.3.3” and the value of “category” is “audio,” and the operation of context extraction is will be described.
First, a case will be described here where context retaining unit 11 is searched, in which the value of the property “owner” which represent the owner, is equivalent to “Smith”, the value of property “mdate,” which represents the modification date, is larger than 95.3.16, and the value of the category property “category” is equivalent to “picture.”
Context selecting unit 12 delivers a search expression for realizing the above search to context database search unit 21 and searches for context retaining unit having in property retaining unit 12 properties satisfying the search expression. In conformity with Object Query Language, for instance, the search expression will be described as shown in FIG.2. Because only context retaining unit 11-1 and context retaining unit 11-2 satisfy the search expression, context database search unit 21 returns the set formed of a reference for context retaining unit 11-1 and a reference for context retaining unit 11-2 to context selecting unit 22 as a search result.
Context selecting unit 22, which receives the set formed of a reference for context retaining unit 11-1 and a reference for context retaining unit 11-2, inputs the set into context extracting unit 23 and requests that the context retaining units pertinent to the references be extracted, and is thus able to acquire relevant context.
However, with conventional data processing apparatus, when context is added with new properties that cannot be identified by conventional names and properties, the problem arises that the conventional context retaining unit needs to be also reconstructed.
To be more specific, for instance, when the property “size,” which represents the file size, is added, all context retaining units need to be reconstructed, which then leads to the problem of increased maintenance load where the number of context retaining units is large or where new properties are added frequently.